Oil companies condemn attacks on Kurdistan Region fields
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region on Wednesday condemned the ongoing drone attacks on the Region’s oil fields, calling on Erbil and Baghdad to investigate the strikes.
“APIKUR members strongly condemn these attacks on our commercial oil production sites. These attacks have damaged multiple sites for APIKUR member companies, and these attacks are threatening our Iraqi workforce,” the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan’s (APIKUR) Spokesperson Myles Caggins told Rudaw on Wednesday.
“We are calling on the government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government to conduct an immediate investigation, and we expect that the government will protect our companies' investments in Kurdistan Region,” he added.
Several oil fields in the Kurdistan Region have been struck with explosive-laden drones in the last three days. At least four drone attacks were reported in Duhok province on Wednesday.
US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told Rudaw on Wednesday that attacks on Kurdistan Region are “unacceptable.”
APIKUR later said in a statement that “These attacks threatened the lives and safety of our predominantly Iraqi workforce and expatriate staff of various nationalities, and also damaged facilities.”
Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline were halted in March 2023 following a ruling by a Paris-based arbitration court in favor of Baghdad, which claimed Ankara had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement by permitting Erbil to independently export oil starting in 2014.
Caggins highlighted the ongoing talks between them and the Kurdish and Iraqi governments to resume the oil exports.
“Our member companies have been in continual discussions with the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government,” he said, reiterating their decision to have written guarantees before resuming the exports.
“APIKUR members strongly condemn these attacks on our commercial oil production sites. These attacks have damaged multiple sites for APIKUR member companies, and these attacks are threatening our Iraqi workforce,” the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan’s (APIKUR) Spokesperson Myles Caggins told Rudaw on Wednesday.
“We are calling on the government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government to conduct an immediate investigation, and we expect that the government will protect our companies' investments in Kurdistan Region,” he added.
Several oil fields in the Kurdistan Region have been struck with explosive-laden drones in the last three days. At least four drone attacks were reported in Duhok province on Wednesday.
US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told Rudaw on Wednesday that attacks on Kurdistan Region are “unacceptable.”
APIKUR later said in a statement that “These attacks threatened the lives and safety of our predominantly Iraqi workforce and expatriate staff of various nationalities, and also damaged facilities.”
Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the Iraq-Turkey pipeline were halted in March 2023 following a ruling by a Paris-based arbitration court in favor of Baghdad, which claimed Ankara had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement by permitting Erbil to independently export oil starting in 2014.
Caggins highlighted the ongoing talks between them and the Kurdish and Iraqi governments to resume the oil exports.
“Our member companies have been in continual discussions with the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government,” he said, reiterating their decision to have written guarantees before resuming the exports.
Sangar Abdulrahman contributed to this article.